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(11) | EP 0 713 068 A2 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Air separation method and apparatus |
| (57) A stream of compressed air is cooled in a heat exchanger 20 to a temperature suitable
for its separation by rectification. The compressed air stream is separated by rectification
in an air separation unit 22. A pressurised nitrogen stream is withdrawn from the
unit 22, is cooled in the heat exchange 20, and is expanded in a turboexpander 30
with the performance of work. The expanded stream is drawn through the heat exchanger
20 from its cold end to its warm end by a blower 34 which has an inlet pressure below
atmospheric pressure. The blower 34 raises the pressure of the expanded stream to
at least atmospheric pressure. |
[0001] The present invention relates to a method of sand apparatus for separating air by (low temperature) rectification.
[0002] In a method of separating air by rectification, air is compressed, cooled to a temperature suitable for its rectification (normally at or near the dew point of the air) and is then introduced into the distillation stage having one or more distillation columns to separate the air into nitrogen and oxygen rich fractions.
[0003] In any type of air separation plant, there is continual heat leakage into the plant and enthalpy differences between the air feed and product streams at the warm end of the plant. Such heat leakage requires refrigeration to be supplied to the air separation plant. Refrigeration is typically supplied by partially cooling a portion of an incoming air stream or partially warming a waste stream, either rich in nitrogen or oxygen. The air stream, waste or product stream is in turn expanded with a performance of work in a machine known as a turboexpander.
[0004] In order to transmit the work of expansion, the turboexpander can be coupled to an energy dissipative brake or an electrical generator, or a compressor used in the plant.
[0005] The refrigeration output of the turboexpander is related to the pressure ratio of the expansion or more specifically, the pressure ratio of the turboexpander inlet pressure and the turboexpander exhaust pressure. In order to increase the refrigeration output of the turboexpander, in some instances, the inlet pressure to the turboexpander is increased using the shaft energy output of the turboexpander to boost the pressure of the gas destined for turboexpansion. As will be discussed, the present invention provides an air separation method and apparatus in which the amount of refrigeration supplied by the turboexpander is increased by decreasing the turboexpander exhaust pressure.
[0006] According to the present invention there is provided a process for separating air by rectification, comprising the step of generating refrigeration for the process by expanding with the performance of external work a stream of compressed air or a pressurised stream withdrawn from the rectification, characterised in that the expanded stream is repressurised from a pressure below atmospheric pressure to at least atmospheric pressure.
[0007] The invention also provides an apparatus for separating air comprising:
main heat exchange means for cooling compressed air to a temperature suitable for its rectification;
distillation means for distilling the compressed air into fractions enriched in components of the air;
a turboexpander for expanding to a sub-atmospheric pressure a pressurised stream of air or of a product of the distillation with the performance of work;
and means for raising the pressure of the expanded stream at subatmospheric pressure, for building pressure of said refrigerant stream to atmospheric pressure, having an outlet for discharging the repressurised stream.
[0008] Thus, the present invention increases the inlet to exhaust pressure ratio of the turboexpander by drawing the exhaust to a subatmospheric pressure by a blower or other similar means. The blower can be driven by the turboexpander so that no additional energy is consumed in the process. Advantageously, a waste or product stream can be used as the stream to be expanded and such stream after having passed through the main heat is discharged from the air separation apparatus at atmospheric pressure. It is understood that in forming the stream to be expanded, a waste or product stream may be partially warmed within a heat exchanger other than the main heat exchanger of the plant, for instance a superheater or an air liquefier. Thereafter, the refrigerant stream may be expanded and fully warmed within the main heat exchanger.
[0009] The method and apparatus according to the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing.
[0010] With reference to the drawing, air is separated by an air separation plant or apparatus 10 operating in accordance with a method of the present invention. An incoming air stream 12 is filtered by a filter 14 to remove dust and other particulate matter in the air. Thereafter, the air is compressed by a main compressor 16. The heat of compression is removed by an aftercooler 18 and the air is then purified by a pre-purification unit 19 having adsorbent beds designed to remove water and carbon dioxide from air stream 12. Thereafter, air stream 12 is cooled within a main heat exchanger 20 to a temperature suitable for its rectification and, thus cooled, is introduced into an air separation unit 22.
[0011] Air separation unit 22 can consist of one or more distillation columns in which an ascending vapour phase is contacted with a descending liquid phase of the air to be separated. This contact can be effected on well known sieve plates or bubble cap trays or structured or random packing. The contact between the vapour and liquid phases causes the vapour phase to become evermore concentrated in the light elements of the air as it ascends in the column and the liquid phase to become evermore concentrated in the heavier components of the air. As a result, a nitrogen enriched head fraction and an oxygen enriched bottom fraction are produced within the distillation column.
[0012] In apparatus 10, air separation unit 22 can consist of two columns, a high pressure column connected to a low pressure column in a heat transfer relationship so that medium pressure nitrogen is produced as a head fraction in the higher pressure column and an oxygen product is produced at a bottom region of the low pressure column. Additionally, waste nitrogen is removed from the top of the low pressure column. The present invention is not, however, restricted to such an arrangement and in fact the present invention would have equal applicability to a single column process as opposed to a plural column process.
[0013] In the illustrated apparatus, air separation unit 22 produces an oxygen product stream 24 which is fully warmed within main heat exchanger 20. Additionally, a waste nitrogen stream 26 is likewise produced by air separation unit 22 and is fully warmed within main heat exchanger 20 The waste nitrogen stream 26 is labelled WN₂ in the drawing. Additionally, air separation unit 22 produces a medium pressure nitrogen stream 28 which as will be discussed is used as a refrigerant stream to add refrigeration to the process.
[0014] It is to be noted that the term "fully cooled" as used herein means fully cooled to a temperature at which air separation unit 22 operates or the cold end of main heat exchanger 20. The term "fully warmed" means warmed to the warm end of main heat exchanger 20 which in practice is ambient, atmospheric temperature. The terms "partially warmed" and "partially cooled" mean the partial warming or cooling, respectively, to a temperature intermediate the warm and cold end temperatures of main heat exchanger 20.
[0015] Medium pressure nitrogen stream 28 is partially warmed within main heat exchanger 20 and is then expanded in a turboexpander 30 to produce a refrigerant stream 32. Refrigerant stream 32 is then fully warmed within main heat exchanger 20. Refrigerant stream 32 in fully warming within main heat exchanger 20 lowers the enthalpy of the incoming air and thereby adds refrigeration to the process being conducted within apparatus 10.
[0016] In order to increase the amount of refrigeration supplied, refrigerant stream 32 is drawn by a blower 34 at a subatmospheric pressure and then is discharged at atmospheric pressure in a stream labelled as MPN₂ in the drawing. Blower 34 is coupled to turboexpander 30 so that at least part of the work of expansion is recovered in powering blower 34.
[0017] It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment. For instance, the present invention would have equal applicability to an air expansion plant in which a portion of the incoming air, after having been partially cooled, were expanded to produce a refrigerant stream subsequently discharged to atmosphere. Additionally, the present invention would have applicability to a plant in which a pressurised waste nitrogen stream were utilised to supply refrigeration. Although in the illustrated embodiment, the entire medium pressure nitrogen stream 28 is utilised to supply refrigeration, only a portion of such stream might be utilised in a specific embodiment of the present invention.
cooling compressed air to a temperature suitable for its rectification, and distilling the air into fractions enriched in components of the air, wherein process streams composed of the air and said fractions flow between said cooling and distillation stages;
forming at least one product stream enriched in one of said components of said air and discharging said at least one product stream from said low temperature rectification process;
partially warming or cooling at least part of a process stream to form a refrigerant stream composed of at least part of said process stream;
turboexpanding said refrigerant stream with the performance of work;
recovering refrigeration from said refrigerant stream by fully warming said refrigerant stream within said cooling stage; and
after said refrigerant stream has fully warmed, drawing said refrigerant stream at subatmospheric pressure and building pressure of said refrigerant stream to at least atmospheric pressure.
at least part of the external work is the repressurisation of the expanded stream.
main heat exchange means for cooling compressed air to a temperature suitable for its rectification;
distillation means for distilling the compressed air into fractions enriched in components of the air;
a turboexpander for expanding to a sub-atmospheric pressure a pressurised stream of air or of a product of the distillation with the performance of work;
and means for raising the pressure of the expanded stream at subatmospheric pressure, for building pressure of said refrigerant stream to atmospheric pressure, having an outlet for discharging the repressurised stream.